Jose Mourinho committed a “huge mistake” with his “unacceptable” comments after the alleged racial abuse of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr, says Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany.
The Brazilian forward scored the only goal in Real Madrid’s 1-0 Champions League win against Benfica on Tuesday.
Vinicius received a booking for his goal celebration. The match was halted for ten minutes after he reported alleged racist abuse from Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni.
UEFA has opened an investigation into the claims. Prestianni denies any wrongdoing.
Mourinho criticizes Vinicius and cites Eusebio
After the match, Benfica coach Mourinho, who was sent off late in the game, said Vinicius had been “disrespectful” in his goal celebration. He referenced the legendary striker Eusebio to argue that Benfica is not a racist club.
On Friday, Kompany spoke emotionally for more than ten minutes before Bayern’s game against Eintracht Frankfurt about Mourinho’s comments.
“After the game, you have a leader like Jose Mourinho attacking Vinicius Jr’s character, using his celebration to discredit him,” said Kompany in English to clarify his point.
“From a leadership perspective, it is a huge mistake and something we should not accept.”
Kompany highlights what black players endured
Kompany also criticized Mourinho for using Eusebio’s name as evidence that Benfica is not racist.
“Do you know what black players had to go through in the 1960s?” asked the former Manchester City captain and Burnley manager.
“Was he there to travel with Eusebio to every away game? Probably not. Back then, they had to stay quiet and be ten times better to earn recognition. That was Eusebio’s life.”
Mourinho has not directly addressed the criticism and spoke only to Benfica media about the game and its aftermath.
“The game was demanding in every aspect,” he said. “Until the 50th minute, it was great, physically and tactically. After that, from the 51st minute on, managing everything emotionally became very difficult.”
Kompany insists celebration should not distract
Kompany, who also experienced racial abuse as a player, stressed that Vinicius’ goal celebration should not distract from the alleged remarks by Prestianni.
“I think about Mourinho sliding on his knees at Old Trafford, celebrating in front of Barcelona fans in the Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan, or fighting with referees in Sevilla,” he said.
“I know 100 people who have worked with Mourinho. I never heard anything bad about him. I understand he fights for his team. That does not make him a bad person, but he did make a mistake.”
Benni McCarthy calls for acknowledgment
Former South Africa striker Benni McCarthy said Mourinho should admit his “wrongly chosen words.”
“He could have handled the situation better or chosen words more carefully, but emotions took over,” McCarthy said on an international broadcast.
“The statement was wrong, but we all make mistakes. Anyone who knows him knows he always stands up for African players. It was an emotional decision, and hopefully he will acknowledge the mistake later.”
Vinicius responds to racism
Vinicius, who has faced multiple incidents of racial abuse in his career, later posted on Instagram: “Racists are, above all, cowards.”
Benfica defended Prestianni, calling it a “defamation campaign” against the Argentine. The 20-year-old could face a minimum ten-match European ban if found guilty, but he denies directing racial abuse at Vinicius.
